Senior Water Utility Worker

Beaumont-Cherry Valley Water District; California; On-site; USD 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

Beaumont-Cherry Valley Water District is seeking an experienced lead supervisor to manage field crews dedicated to water distribution and residential meter systems. You will direct construction, maintenance, and repair work, ensuring safety and customer service excellence.

You will oversee meter testing, service activations/deactivations, leaks, and coordination with customers, vendors, and internal teams to maintain reliable service across district facilities.

Qualifications

• High school graduation or equivalent; four years of increasingly responsible work experience in water distribution and meter systems.

Responsibilities

• Supervise utility field staff in construction, maintenance, and repair of water distribution and residential water meters.
• Coordinate work schedules, assign tasks, and provide training on procedures and safety practices.
• Oversee meter testing, service turns on/off, leak repairs, and customer service communications.

Skills

Staff leadership

Customer service

Water distribution

Tools operation

Safety compliance

Education

High school diploma or equivalent

Job description

DEFINITION

Under general direction, provides lead supervision to a crew of utility field staff and performs work in the construction, maintenance, and repair of the District’s water distribution and water meter systems, as assigned; uses and operates a variety of manual, pneumatic, and power tools and light to heavy power-driven equipment; responds to and resolves the most complex customer service and water utility issues; and performs related duties as assigned.

SUPERVISION RECEIVED AND EXERCISED

Receives general direction from assigned supervisory or management personnel. Exercises technical and functional direction over, and provides training to, lower-level staff.

CLASS CHARACTERISTICS

This is the advanced-level classification in the Water Utility series. Incumbents work under general direction and exercise a high level of discretion and independent judgment in performing the full range of routine to complex duties in the construction, maintenance, operation, repair, and customer service resolution related to the District’s water distribution and residential water meter systems. As assigned, incumbents provide lead supervision to lower-level utility field staff and/or lead and resolve the most complex customer service and water utility issues. Assignments are given with general guidelines and incumbents are responsible for establishing objectives, timelines, and methods to deliver work products, and for ensuring the efficient and effective functioning of assigned projects and programs.

EXAMPLES OF TYPICAL JOB FUNCTIONS (Illustrative Only)

The duties and responsibilities listed below are intended to provide a representative list of the various types of work that may be performed. Specifications are not intended to reflect all duties performed within the job class, and incumbents may expect to perform other related similar duties. Some of the duties include, but are not limited to, the following.

• Leads, provides work guidance, and participates in the work of utility field staff performing work in the construction, maintenance, and repair of the District’s water distribution and residential water meter systems.
• Participates in scheduling and assigning work and monitoring employees’ work for completeness, accuracy, and conformance with District standards; provides information, instruction, and training on work processes, proper uses of equipment, and safe work practices; provides performance feedback, including input during the annual evaluation process.
• Estimates personnel, equipment, and material requirements for assigned jobs.
• Oversees utility crew and participates in the excavation, inspection, flushing, cleaning, installation, and repairing of water mains, service lines, and laterals; retrofits service lines and repairs leaks; performs field work on positive displacement, turbine, flow, and compound meters.
• Performs demolition on concrete and asphalt; excavates, backfills, repairs, and finishes concrete and asphalt.
• Locates valves, meters, hydrants, and related appurtenances from maps, drawings, and sketches and with electronic line locators.
• Tests, disassembles, cleans, and repairs water meters, water service lines and appurtenances, such as meter connections, angle stops, compression fittings, and service piping; installs new services and change-outs of residential water meters.
• Coordinates with Customer Service in contacting and communicating with customers in the field; meets with customers to respond to concerns and complaints; notifies customers of service outages; hangs door tags.
• Resolves the most complex water utility customer service and utility issues; verifies the location of services, troubleshoots, and identifies problems and issues with customer water service, and suggests potential solutions; maintains calm demeanor with frustrated and irate customers.
• Responds to a variety of metering system and reading issues; bench tests meters to determine meter accuracy; performs a variety of special meter reads and service turn-ons and turn-offs; inspects and services meter service lines.
• Performs or oversees the performance of leak testing to locate leaks in the water mains and service lines; shuts down water lines in emergencies.
• Coordinates with vendors and contractors to perform system maintenance and repair; oversees contractor and inspects work to ensure completion of services.
• Oversees an inventory of parts, tools, materials, and equipment; issues replacement parts, tools, and materials as needed.
• Oversees utilities locating requests (DigAlert) to identify infrastructure in support of construction and capital improvement projects; uses a wire receiver and other tools and information to assess and determine line location; uses a tablet and enters information in database.
• Determines appropriate layout for directing traffic while working in the street; installs street barricades, signs, and cones prior to the performance of construction and repair activities; ensures crew adherence to safe work practices.
• As assigned, operates construction equipment including dump trucks, backhoes, front loader, dozer, tractor, and vactor. Operates a variety of power, pneumatic, and hand tools including air compressors, jack hammers, vibration plates, soil compactors, skill saws, grinders, concrete saws, shovels, and wrenches.
• May collect water samples for laboratory testing.
• Disinfects water lines during emergency repairs; calculates and determines the proper chlorine dose to disinfect piping and appurtenances.
• Observes and complies with all District and mandated safety rules, regulations, and protocols.
• Works on a computer; uses software to create and maintain a variety of records and reports; maintains operating logs and records.
• Acts as the competent person on jobsites as identified by OSHA requirements relevant to area of responsibility.
• Performs related duties as assigned.

QUALIFICATIONS

Knowledge of:

• Principles of providing functional direction and training.
• Materials, methods, practices, and equipment used in water distribution systems and water meter installation, maintenance, and repair.
• Applicable federal, state, and local laws, codes, and ordinances relevant to area of responsibility.
• Water utility system plumbing and construction principles and practices, including backflow prevention.
• Operation of a variety of hand, pneumatic, and power tools and heavy equipment.
• Techniques for providing a high level of customer service by effectively dealing with the public, vendors, contractors, and District staff.
• Safety equipment and safe work practices.
• The structure and content of the English language to effectively perform the work.
• Modern equipment and communication tools used for business functions and program, project, and task coordination, including computers, tablets, smartphones, and software programs relevant to work performed.

Ability to:

• Plan, organize, and coordinate the work of assigned staff.
• Effectively provide staff leadership and work direction.
• Effectively perform work assignments in water distribution systems and water meter installation, maintenance, and repair.
• Operate a motor vehicle and power-driven equipment and tools used in water distribution systems and water meter installation, maintenance, and repair.
• Read and interpret basic construction specifications, maps, and blueprints.
• Tactfully and calmly respond to frustrated and irate customers.
• Participate in rotational on-call assignments.
• Regularly and predictably attend work.
• Independently organize work, set priorities, meet critical deadlines and follow-up on assignments.
• Use tact, initiative, prudence, and independent judgment within general policy and procedural guidelines.
• Effectively use computer systems, software applications relevant to work performed and modern business equipment to perform a variety of work tasks.
• Communicate clearly and concisely, both orally and in writing, using appropriate English grammar and syntax.
• Establish, maintain, and foster positive and effective working relationships with those contacted in the course of work.

Education and Experience:

Any combination of training and experience that would provide the required knowledge, skills, and abilities is qualifying. A typical way to obtain the required qualifications would be:

High school graduation or equivalent; and

Four (4) years of increasingly responsible work experience in the installation, maintenance, and repair of water distribution and meter systems, including field customer service experience.

Licenses and Certifications:

• Based on assignment, possession of a valid California Class A commercial driver’s license.
• Possession of, or ability to obtain within twelve (12) months from appointment, a Water Distribution Operator 3 (D3) certificate issued by the California State Water Resources Control Board.
• Possession of, or ability to obtain within twelve (12) months from appointment, a Water Treatment Operator 1 (T1) certificate issued by the California State Water Resources Control Board.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS

Must possess mobility to work in the field; strength, stamina, and mobility to perform moderate to heavy physical work; to sit, stand, and walk on level, uneven, or slippery surfaces; frequently reach, twist, turn, kneel, bend, stoop, squat, crouch, grasp and make repetitive hand movement in the performance of daily duties; possible entry into confined spaces, to climb and descend ladders, to operate varied hand and power tools and construction equipment, and to operate a motor vehicle and visit various District sites; and vision to inspect and operate equipment. The job involves fieldwork requiring frequent walking in operational areas to identify problems or hazards. Finger dexterity is needed to operate and repair tools and equipment. Employees must possess the ability to lift, carry, push, and pull materials and objects weighing up to 100 pounds, in all cases with the use of proper equipment and/or assistance from other staff. Reasonable accommodations will be made for individuals on a case‑case basis.

ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONS

Employees work in the field and are exposed to loud noise levels, cold and hot temperatures, inclement weather conditions, road hazards, vibration, chemicals, mechanical and/or electrical hazards, hazardous physical substances and fumes, dust, and air contaminants.